


A Peacemaking Tactic

by AutisticMurasakibara (HanaHimus)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Assassination Attempt(s), F/M, M/M, Politics, The schools are also Kingdoms/an Empire in this bc I'm not creative
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-11 07:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3319316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HanaHimus/pseuds/AutisticMurasakibara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Crown Prince of the Teiko Empire, Akashi Seijuurou, wasn't prepared to deal with news of an arranged marriage to his childhood friend or rumors of a soon to be carried out assassination attempt on his father.</p>
<p>The "spare," Kuroko Tetsuya, wasn't prepared to fall in love with his fiance's stepbrother or watch his fiance in turn fall for his servant.</p>
<p>A simple servant, Himuro Tatsuya, wasn't prepared to end up stranded in Yosen or to find out the prince of another kingdom was planning the death of the Emperor.</p>
<p>Too bad that's what they ended up getting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge: Arrangments

**Author's Note:**

> The summary is crap, but hey, covers all the important stuff.
> 
> I'll always try to keep a chapter ready to post at any time, so let's see how that goes.

Crown prince Akashi Seijuurou sighed, looking at the map of the empire he was to take control of one day. He almost didn’t want control of the Empire of Teiko, not when it was threatening to tear itself apart.

“Lets see…” He began with a mumble, letting his finger run over the two kingdoms closest to the palace’s closed walls, “Rakuzan has been quiet, they seem fine with my father’s reign. Shuutoku is troublesome, but my marriage to Shintarou will fix that.”

He let out a shaky breath, it was still odd knowing he’d actually be destined to marry his childhood friend. For some reason, as usual, his father had decided to not tell him something so important until months before the wedding. He almost had to wonder if Shintarou had known the entire time…

He shook his head, removing thoughts of Shintarou from his head and (hopefully) the slowly forming blush from his face. Matters like those just embarrassed him.

“Kirisaki Daiichi is troublesome,” He continued, “But Yosen is loyal and marrying their princes should solidify both kingdom’s loyalty…” 

Or not, really. Hanamiya Makoto was a smart one and he could very easily manipulate Atsushi. That could be troublesome, he wouldn’t want to have to deal with two of the kingdoms, there were more important matters…

Seijuurou made a note to make sure Atsushi had a mental advisor who could keep him in line.

He moved his attention back to the map, “Touou and Kajou are going to be troublesome.” He sighed, running his hand along the rocky kingdoms. “They’re both on the edge of not only warring with each other, but also starting a rebellion. Tetsuya’s marriage to their daughter Momoi should stop Touou and a marriage between Daiki and Ryouta could help smooth the other issue.” 

Those marriages had been the plan for a while, anyway. Daiki and Ryouta were to be married since birth. Satsuki’s mother marrying into the royal family had only served his father a way to get rid of his spare, bastard son. Sad, really, Tetsuya and Satsuki would be better friends than life partners.

“One last kingdom,” He said, turning back to the map, “Seirin. They’re too weak to cause any trouble, at least.”

Now that he thought about it, wasn’t Tetsuya’s little servant from Seirin? The loud one who didn’t know his place?

If all of the residents from Seirin were that troublesome there would be an issue eventually.

“Akashi-kun.” A quiet voice said from behind him, making the crown prince turn to look at his half brother.

“What is it, Tetsuya?” He asked, “Haven’t I told you to just call me Seijuurou, you’re on even ground with me, aren’t you?”

“No, not really. You’re to be the emperor and I’m nothing more that a bastard prince.” Tetsuya replied, “I’m not even allowed to share a last name.”

“Tetsuya…” Seijuurou sighed, “What do you need?”

“Father needs to see you.” The blue haired boy replied.

Seijuurou sighed, standing from his chair, “Alright then, this should be interesting.”

 

As soon as Seijuurou entered the throne room he felt any decent feelings he’d been having fled from him. There on his throne was the man he hated the most, looking down at him like some common peasant.

“Seijuurou, as you know I expect much from your marriage with Shuutoku’s prince.” His father said.

“Yes, of course.” Seijuurou replied, biting back any rude remark he could make.

“Due to this, you know you can’t simply hide from him until the marriage,” His father began, “You’re to go to Shuutoku and see him.”

“Yes, sir.” Seijuurou replied, despite being utterly too nervous to see Shintarou without it ending badly.

“The spare will also be going to Touou to see his soon to be bride.” His father continued, “I expect you both to be on your best behavior.”

“But of course, father.” Seijuurou turned on his heel, “If that’s all, I’ll be leaving--”

“Another thing,” His father called, “The other kingdoms have...similar ideas. If I call for you to return you do it immediately, we can’t risk you being caught in some mindless war.”

Seijuurou was tempted to say no, to refuse to come back if it came to that. He’d rather be with Shintarou should war break out, at least Shintarou was good company.

“Yes, father.” Were to words to escape his lips instead. 

 

Himuro Tatsuya was still trying to figure out how he ended up a servant for the Mursakibara family...Well, maybe it was when he refused to stay in Seirin with his mother and settle down when he reached marriageable age and instead decided to travel. 

Actually, that had to be it. He’d decided to travel around the empire instead of marrying the nice girl his mother’d found him and gotten stranded in Yosen. He’d been reduced to odd jobs and begging just to survive in the kingdom and had just been lucky enough to catch a royal family member’s eye.

“I’ve been working here for a month and I still don’t even know what member.” Tatsuya mumbled, “It’s ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous?” A passing maid asked, “You know the family hates being called ridiculous.”

“I know, it’s just the fact I don’t even know how the royal family found me,” Tatsuya replied, going back to washing the window he’d been cleaning before, “I mean, I was just an urchin from Seirin.”

“Well, don’t let the prince hear you talking like that.” She said, “He’s not one to listen to people complain and you’d be back on the streets.”

“I wouldn’t call what I was doing complaining, but...okay.” The black haired man replied, finishing the window and moving to the next.

The maid didn’t reply and he shrugged, she must’ve just walked away, decided he wasn’t worth replying to. Oh well, less chatter for him, more time to work while the castle was well lit.

Or...maybe not, since he swore in the next second it got a lot darker. It wasn’t cloudy outside…

“Eh? I was right, you’re that dirty guy I saw in the town square.” A voice said, “I was looking for you.”

This was the family member who found him, then? Better not mess this up and piss them off.

Tatsuya spinned on his heel, “Ah yes, thank you for--” He froze, seeing himself face to chest with whoever it was. They were tall.

“Thank me for what?” The giant asked, tilting Tatsuya’s chin up, “Come on, tell me.”

“For...saving me, I guess.” Tatsuya replied, “If you hadn’t noticed me I’d have starved or frozen to death.”

“Well, don’t thank me for something so dumb,” The purple haired man replied, “Instead, just come with me.”

“Alright,” He replied, “May I ask where we’re going?”

The giant thought for a second, “Kirisaki Daiichi, to see my fiance.” He finally replied.

“Eh?”

 


	2. Chapter 1: Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first real chapter that's been written for about a day, but since I finished writing up the third chapter I'm posting it now.

Seijuurou took a deep breath, allowing the escort to lead him into the palace. He was about to see Shintarou for the first time since he’d learned the truth of their future together. He could do this, he could see his old friend.

He dismissed the escort at that point, he could find Shintarou himself easily enough. He still remembered the places he’d usually be when he came to visit as a child, at least.

The prince walked down a hall, only one thought on his mind, finding Shintarou. Nothing else mattered at that point--

He fell to the ground and all thoughts of Shintarou briefly left him. Instead, all he wanted to know was who exactly hit into him.

“Ah man, that really hurt,” A voice in front of him began, “I’m sorry, buddy--”

The man in front of him stopped talking and stood quickly offering a hand to Seijuurou as if afraid of what could happen. Seijuurou took the hand with a raise of an eyebrow, letting the black haired man pull him to his feet.

“I’m so sorry!” He exclaimed, “I-I should’ve been more careful with where I was going--”

“If you’re afraid because I’m the crown prince of the Empire, stop.” Seijuurou replied, cutting the man off, “I was also not watching where I was going, a stupid mistake for both of us.”

“Of course, I’m still really sorry.” The man replied, rubbing the back of his head and giving a nervous laugh.

“I’ll forgive you if you do a couple things for me,” The redhead began, “One, tell me who you are.”

“I’m Takao Kazunari,” The man began in reply, “I’m the personal servant of the Shuutoku Kingdom’s crown prince, Midorima Shintarou.”

“I see,” Seijuurou began, “Well then, how about you show me the way to Shintarou, I’ve been meaning to see my fiance.”

“Oh, sure!” Kazunari exclaimed, turning on his heel, “Right this way.”

Seijuurou followed the excitable man down the hallway, watching him practically skip around. He was definitely not afraid of him anymore, at least. Seemed Kazunari was quick to warm up to people and forget embarrassment.

He couldn’t help but wish he was the same, seeing as how bad the first meeting with Shintarou was bound to be. Honestly, he should’ve prepared himself better on his way to Shuutoku, but he’d had other thoughts on his mind--

“You’re going to far!” Kazunari called, catching Seijuurou by the arm, only to let it fall the next second, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have just touched you--”

“You were keeping me from wandering farther away from Shintarou, it’s fine.” Seijuurou said with the wave of a hand, “Now, go ahead and announce my presence, hmm?”

“Of course,” Kazunari replied with a nod, turning and walking into the room quickly. “Shin-chan--er Prince Shintarou, you have a visitor.”

“Who is it, Takao?” The green haired man asked and Seijuurou felt his heart begin to beat fast at the sound of it.

He wasn’t ready to see Shintarou yet. It would have been better to have not seen him until the wedding, let Seijuurou live in the illusion of it being a simple peacekeeping tactic. All he would do at this point would be offend the prince--

“Crown Prince of the Teiko Empire, Akashi Seijuurou.” Kazunari sound and Seijuurou knew he had no choice but to actually enter the room and face his childhood friend.

He forced a smile onto his face, taking a step into the room, “Long time no see, Shintarou.”

“It has been a long time.” Shintarou replied, “It’s nice to see you again, Akashi.”

“Yes, the first time since I learned of the engagement, at least.” Seijuurou replied, “I have a question, Shintarou. How long did you know of this?”

“Akashi...I--”

“Just answer the question, Shintarou.” Seijuurou replied, cutting his fiance off. He almost wanted to take back the question, but it was too late for that now.

“I should give you two some privacy.” Kazunari mumbled, “I have some errands to run anyway.”

Seijuurou put a hand on Kazunari’s chest, stopping the man, “No, it would do good to have a witness to whatever Shintarou has to say so you stay.”

 

 

Tetsuya looked at his servant quickly, hoping the man wasn’t falling behind. Sadly, Taiga was indeed falling behind(not that he could blame him, what with how much luggage he had to carry).

“Kagami-kun, could you try and pick up the pace, maybe?” He asked, slowing himself some.

“I can’t just hurry it up!” The redhead snapped, “There’s way too many bags!”

“No need to be so loud.” Tetsuya replied, “Now come on, we need to get to the palace before someone recognizes me.”

“No one ever notices you.” Taiga mumbled.

“I know.” Tetsuya replied, “But people are starting to give you strange looks. They seem to think you’re talking to yourself.”

Taiga blinked, “Wait, what?”

“People are staring, now let’s go.” Tetsuya replied, walking away and forcing Taiga to just follow along quietly, his face red in embarrassment.

Soon enough, the men came to the gates and stood for a while, waiting for someone to finally notice them.

“What kind of crappy palace service does Touou have?” Taiga mumbled, setting the bags down after what had to be at least a half-hour of waiting.

“I’m sure someone will be here soon.” Tetsuya replied, “If not you can just cause enough commotion to alert the guards and explain why we’re here when they tackle you.”

“That’s not funny!” Taiga snapped, “Why would I do that?”

“Because I can’t really draw their attention easily.” Tetsuya replied, “You seem to always have someone’s attention.”

“So what?” Taiga replied, “Like hell I’m going to try and get tackled! I’d sooner die than--”

Before he could say another word a few men dressed in what Tetsuya guessed was a palace guard uniform came running out and indeed tackled Taiga to the ground. His guess was his yelling at seemingly nothing alarmed them enough to feel the need to subdue him.

“Get off of me!” Taiga yelled, “I’m not a threat, get off!”

“Sir,” One of the guards began, “You were sitting here yelling at nothing, we can’t let you do that, you may make the people talk.”

“Talk about what?” Taiga snapped, trying to throw them off.

“Some say that the princess has a lover who wants to steal her away from her fiance,” The guard replied, “We know it’s not true, but some might think you’re that lover.”

“Actually,” Tetsuya said, alerting the guards to his presence and making them jump, “I’m her fiance and he’s just my servant.”

The guards got of Taiga quickly upon hearing this, giving Tetsuya a low bow.

“We’re so very sorry for the misunderstanding!” One of the guards exclaimed.

“It’s alright, Kagami-kun can handle being knocked to the ground.” Tetsuya replied, “Could you just let us in, I’m here to see my fiance.”

The guards complied, taking the luggage from Taiga, claiming they’d put him through too much pain to make him carry it himself and disappeared down the hall. Only one stayed with them, escorting them to what seemed to be a drawing room.

“Prince Kuroko Tetsuya,” The guard said, introducing the blue haired man, “And...his servant.”

Tetsuya walked into the room, seeing a pink haired woman perk up at his name. So that was Momoi Satsuki, his future wife?

“Oh, you’re Tetsu-kun? How adorable!” She exclaimed, turning to the man next to her, “Isn’t he adorable, Dai-chan?”

“Sure,” The so called Dai-chan began in reply, “At least cuter than red behind him.” He said this, but Tetsuya still saw the blush that crossed his face when he saw him.

“Oh, his servant?” Satsuki let her eyes wander to him, “I’m sure he’s--actually very handsome.”

Tetsuya sighed at those words, looked like everyone was finding the wrong people attractive. That could be...troublesome.

“Well then, Momoi-san, I suppose we should start getting to know each other,” He decided to finally say, hoping to break the awkward silence, “Or, if you’re too busy I could learn more about my soon to be brother-in-law.”

“Oh, well--yes, that is a good idea, isn’t it.” Satsuki mumbled, “I do have a few things to do, so Dai-chan can entertain you until I return.”

“That sounds fine.” Tetsuya replied with a small nod.

“Also, can I ask a favor?” Satsuki asked.

“What is that?” The blue haired boy asked.

“Could I maybe...borrow your servant?”

 

 

Prince Kise Ryouta was almost too excited to be going to Touou. It had been awhile since his parents had let him come on a surprise visit to his fiance’s kingdom.

Sure, he always had a chaperone, even now, which took some excitement out of it, but Daiki not knowing made it all worth it. The look he always got from the blue haired prince was always priceless--

“You need to keep moving!” Yukio, Ryouta’s current chaperone, snapped, kicking him in the back, “We can’t just stand around, someone might try to kill you!”  
“Why would anyone do that?” Ryouta asked, despite beginning to make his way to the palace.

“Simple, just because you’re going to marry the prince and calm the nations doesn’t mean everyone is quite so happy with the setup.” Yukio began, forcing the blond to take a more obscure route to the palace, “In fact, there’s a lot of people who’d love to kill you and start the war we’re on the verge of having. You and Prince Daiki are the only things keeping this from happening.”

“Well, sure, but--”

“No buts!” Yukio snapped, dragging him up to the gate, “We’re here anyway!”

Ryouta pouted at his chaperone, he was always one to try and rush him around and “play it safe” or whatever. Didn’t he know how to live a little?

“Come on, we’re going in.” Yukio said, once again dragging Ryouta along, “Now, where would we find your fiance.”

“Well…” Ryouta tapped his chin, trying to think of where Daiki might be hiding. It was hard to figure out where Daiki could be sometimes, really.

Maybe his room? No, it wasn’t a bad enough day he’d sleep it all away. The courtyard? No, it also wasn’t nice enough for that.

“Ki-chan!” A familiar voice called and the prince turned to see a bubbly pink haired woman come skipping towards him, “You came for a visit!”

“Yep, I did Momoicchi!” He laughed, glancing behind her and turning pale at the redhead, “Uh...who’s that?”

“Oh?” The woman turned to look behind her, “That’s Kagami Taiga, my fiance’s servant.”

“Why is he with you, then?” Ryouta asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I have some heavy lifting to do that Dai-chan won’t help with, but Kagami-kun seems just as strong…” Satsuki replied, “So I thought, why not have him help me!”

“Oh, that’s smart, Momoicchi!” The blond exclaimed, realizing a second later he could use this to his advantage.

Maybe he could convince Satsuki to take Yukio as “help” too, he’d just have to choose his words wisely…

“Say, will there be a lot of heavy lifting, Momomicchi?” Ryouta asked, letting his smile become even larger.

“Well, yeah, probably too much for just Kagami-kun…” Satsuki sighed, “Guess I’ll need to find someone else to help--”

“How about him?” Ryouta asked, pushing Yukio forward, “Kasamatsu-san here is really strong and reliable!”

“But I-I need to…” Yukio swallowed hard and Ryouta almost laughed. Man, he was really awkward around girls, wasn’t he, “I need to stay with the prince--”

“Oh, Ki-chan’ll be safe!” Satsuki exclaimed, “I could really use the help!” She grabbed the man by the hand, dragging him off. “Oh, by the way, Dai-chan’s in the drawing room!” She called back to the blond.

Ryouta smiled, Satsuki knew him well and that just made his hunt even easier. He skipped down the hall, moving quickly to what he was pretty sure was the drawing room.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. he couldn’t wait to see the look on Daiki’s face when he realizes who came to visit.

“Aominecchi! Guess--” Ryouta blinked at the small man next to his fiance.

He was delicate looking, almost weak. Was this Satsuki’s fiance? If so, she’d gotten herself a nice catch, Ryouta had to say, he was cute.

Daiki glanced towards the door, “Oh, hey Kise. This is Kuroko, Satsuki’s fiance.”

 

 

Tatsuya followed who had ended up being Prince Murasakibara Atsushi through the dreary streets of the town they were in quietly. Kirisaki Daiichi was apparently a very rich country, but, from the looks of it, also a very glum one.

“Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, how long until we get to the palace?” Tatsuya asked, wanting to break the silence around them, “Also...where is everyone?”

“It’s rainy, most people are probably inside.” Atsushi replied, sounding completely uninterested in what the town was doing. He didn’t even bother answering Tatsuya’s first question.

The man decided that, from what he’d seen, the prince wouldn’t say more anyway and didn’t even try to ask again. Luckily enough, though, they came to the gate of the palace not long after.

The guards let them in as soon as they saw just exactly who they were and Tatsuya tried to give one a smile. The guard didn’t react and that just added to how dreary the entire place seemed.

“I see that my son’s fiance came to visit!” A woman said upon them entering the actual walls, “Oh you’ve grown so much, Atsushi!”

“Hi,” The giant replied, “Where’s Miya-chin, I wanna see him.”

“Straight to the point I see.” She laughed, “Makoto’s probably this way, follow me.”

Tatsuya followed behind the other two, making sure there was at least some space between them. As far as he knew, that was proper etiquette for servants in most of the kingdoms.

Soon enough they came to a set of large, black double doors and the woman gestured for them to enter.

Well, really only for Atsushi, seeing as when Tatsuya went to follow the prince she held out an arm to keep him back.

“I’m sorry, but Makoto doesn’t like seeing servants, please wait here for Atsushi.” She said with a smile, “He’ll be out shortly, I’m sure.”

Tatsuya wanted to argue, really, probably the stubbornness he’d picked up from his stepbrother wanting to come out. He was here with Prince Atsushi, wasn’t he? He deserved to follow him into whatever the room was.

“Of course.” He replied instead, forcing a smile onto his face as he moved to the side. No point in pissing off who seemed to be the queen.

“Thank you.” She replied, “Now, if you’ll excuse me I have things to do.”

She walked away in a swish of skirts and Tatsuya sighed, leaning against the wall. There had to be something better for him to do, something that didn’t involve waiting for Atsushi to walk back out.

Soon enough, though, the door did open and Tatsuya stood up straight. No point to looking like a slacker in front of your employer.

“Eh, there’s Muro-chin.” Atsushi said, “Come on, you were supposed to follow me.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was,” Tatsuya said, walking towards the prince, “I was actually told to wait out here--”

“I didn’t tell you to wait out here, so you should’ve followed.” The purple haired man replied, “Now come on, I want you to meet Miya-chin.”

Tatsuya nodded, walking through the open door and following Atsushi towards a table. Looking around, Tatsuya had to guess the room was a library, what, with the fact all the walls were lined with book shelves that were stocked to the brim. Not to mention what seemed like older books on display on various tables around the room.

“So this is your new servant that you decided to bring, huh?” A man seated at the table asked, “Remind me again why you thought I’d care enough to see him.”

“Cause you always tell me you don’t wanna see my servants so I’m making you see one.” Atsushi replied, “Besides, he’s prettier than the other ones I’ve had.”

“I see,” The man, who Tatsuya guessed was Makoto, stood up, “So, he said your name was Himuro Tatsuya, right?”

“Yes, that’s my name.” The other man replied, giving a small nod.

Makoto let his eyes actually fall on him and Tatsuya held the urge to shiver. He swore he was being looked at like a piece of meat or something.

“Well,” Makoto turned back to his fiance, “Looks like your visit might actually be interesting for once.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for the first real chapter.
> 
> From here on out, each chapter will focus on one(or two depending on the placements) of the trios. First'll be Akashi, Midorima, and Takao when I get around to posting it.


	3. Chapter 2: Questions and Concerns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter bc I finished writing chapter four today. Have some Akashi/Midorima/Takao interaction

Seijuurou stared at his fiance, waiting for a reply to finally cross his lips no matter how scared he was to hear it.

“I knew of it from about the time I was five,” Shintarou replied, “I had thought you knew too, despite the fact my parents didn’t want me talking to you about it. I thought you were just embarrassed by it.”

“Embarrassed by it?” Seijuurou gave a bitter laugh, “Shintarou, at least we’re close. If I had at least known I was destined to marry my best friend...I would’ve been able to prepare.”

“Akashi, I know you. If you had known the arrangement from the beginning…” Shintarou sighed, “You wouldn’t have allowed yourself to become close to me. You would have insisted on keeping your distance.”

“Shintarou--”

“At least now we won’t end up wondering if we’ll despise each other when married.” Shintarou said, cutting the crown prince off, “Doesn’t that count for anything, Akashi?”

“Shintarou...there’s still a chance that marriage will ruin this friendship,” Seijuurou began in reply, “Doesn’t the idea scare you?”

“I doubt that it will,” Shintarou replied, “I won’t let it and I know you won’t either.”

“You can’t be sure of that.” The redhead replied, taking a step forward as his childhood friend rose to his feet.

“Akashi…” Shintarou let his hand touch Seijuurou’s cheek, “If this scares you, remember there’s no need for it to be romantic. You can keep in mind it’s a peacekeeping tactic.”

Seijuurou wanted to tell him the reason he was scared is he was almost hoping for romance. No matter how pathetic that sounded, it was true. He’d actually developed feelings for Shintarou somewhere along the line and he wanted to hear him say it was the same way for him.

“Of course.” Is what he let himself say instead. He didn’t want to scare Shintarou away.

Kazunari cleared his throat at that point, reminding the other two of his presence. Shintarou dropped his hand quickly and Seijuurou frowned, he almost wished the servant had stood idly by a while longer.

“What is is, Takao?” The green haired man asked, turning red in embarrassment.

“I was just wondering if I could leave now, you know since Prince Akashi got his answer.” Kazunari replied, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

“Yes, feel free to leave now,” Seijuurou said, “You could have left as soon as I got the answer really.”

“Well, I was taught to not leave royalty until they tell me I can.” Kazunari replied, “Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“Forgiven.” Seijuurou said, “Now, leave us be.”

 

“‘Forgiven,’” Kazunari rolled his eyes as he walked down the hall, “How high and mighty is he?”

Sure, the guy was going to be emperor one day, but would it hurt him to show a little more respect? Well, maybe he was being a bit harsh on him. He had just taken a long journey, maybe he was just grumpy.

“That sounds about right!” Kazunari exclaimed, “He’s just kind of grumpy!”

A passing maid raised an eyebrow at his exclamation and he just shrugged at her. Not his fault he was the most lively guy in the palace.

Now to head to town and run his errands, or, as he should really have put it, get his mail. Maybe his pen pal(who he’d only met due to the guy deciding to apparently “see the world” and thinking Shuutoku would be an interesting place to start) had written him finally. Last he’d heard he was stranded in Yosen and he was honestly curious as to how he was handling that.

If he was doing better, he was also going to complain a bit about how overworked he’d been lately. Shintarou meant well, but the constant cleaning and errand running to prepare for Seijuurou was kind of tiring.

“Hello there, Kazunari!” The woman in the postal office exclaimed as the man walked in, “A letter from your friend came in today.”

“Great! Thank you ma’am!” He exclaimed, taking the letter and leaving a few silver pieces on the counter, “Can’t wait to get home and see what he’s been up to!”

“Well, it has been a while since he last wrote you,” The woman laughed, “Hopefully the letter holds good news.”

“Hopefully!” Without another word, Kazunari was on his way back to the palace.

The envelope on this letter looked a lot nicer than the last one(well...than all of them, really), hopefully that was a good sign. If he wanted to be really ridiculous and Tatsuya didn’t explain, he’d almost want to jokingly ask if he’d somehow married into Yosen’s royal family.

As soon as he made it back to the palace he ran to his room. Usually he’d wait awhile and check on Shintarou first, but his friend hadn’t written in so long…

_Kazunari,_

_Just thought you’d be excited to know I’m actually back on my feet, kind of. At least, I’m in a better situation than before! Yosen has been rough at times, still, so I wasn’t able to write right away. Sorry for that._

_Still, I’m actually going with a new friend of sorts to visit Kirisaki Daiichi. I don’t think you’ll even get the message until the day I get there, it’s at least a few days journey from here. From what I hear, we’re staying there for a couple weeks, so….Here’s to hoping it’s a fun place with a lot of things to do!_

_How have you been? Bothering the prince like usual no doubt. I recently heard he’s actually going to marry Akashi Seijuurou? That must have the palace up in a roar, huh? Have you met the Crown Prince? If so what’s he like, seeing as you’re going to get to deal with him for as long as Prince Shintarou’s in charge of you._

_Best wishes,_

_Tatsuya_

__

Kazunari laughed, pulling out a piece of paper with the intent to write Tatsuya back only to pause. He didn’t know much about Kirisaki Daiichi, all he really knew was it was a pretty small kingdom sitting between Yosen and Touou.

He wanted to know something about it before writing Tatsuya back about it...maybe Shintarou would know something? Well, it was as good a place to start as any.

He jumped up, running out of his room. He had to wonder, would Shintarou and Seijuurou still be in the same room? Well, unless Seijuurou was one of those types who couldn’t sit still for any amount of time(which he honestly doubted), probably.

He ran into the room, forgetting his training for when other royals were visiting for a minute, “Shin-chan! I have a question!”

“Shin-chan?” Seijuurou raised an eyebrow at the servant, “Are you referring to Shintarou?”

“I...yes, I meant to say Prince Shintarou--”

“What do you want, Takao?” Shintarou asked, cutting any awkward explanation he could attempt short.

“Well, you know that guy, Tatsuya?” Kazunari began, “The one who travels a lot.”

“The one who was stranded in Yosen last you talked of him? If so, yes.” Shintarou replied.

“Well, to begin he’s in a better situation!” The black haired man exclaimed, “And he’s made a friend and is going on a trip to another kingdom with them.”

“What kingdom?” Seijuurou asked, seemingly taking an interest in the story. Poor guy must not have much excitement if this was interesting to him, Kazunari thought.

“Kirisaki Daiichi.” He replied, “I don’t know much about that place and I was wondering if you knew anything so my letter back to him has some sort of substance.”

“Well, I could tell you a few things.” Seijuurou said, “Sit down.” He gestured to a nearby seat.

Kazunari did as told, “I’d appreciate anything you could tell me.”

“It’s a small kingdom, but the prince is smart. Too smart to be marrying the youngest son of the Murasakibara family, but that’s already been arranged.” Seijuurou started, “It’s a glum country, really, it rains often there. Most people keep to themselves from what I’ve seen my few times there.” He sighed, “It’s not a place for a vacation and I suggest you telling your friend to not go there and, if he’s already there, advise him to leave as soon as possible.”

“Is it really that bad?” Kazunari asked, “I mean, it might be a boring vacation, but he won’t run into trouble if he’s around for a while.”

“He will, though.” Seijuurou replied, “It’s a small country and royal family knows everyone who comes in and out of the country. You can’t speak without the chance of them hearing.”

“Then, if he’s already there...which he is because he sent the letter shortly before heading out, I can’t warn him to leave!” Kazunari exclaimed, “They’d know I did it.”

“Actually, letters are the only thing that’s safe from their eye,” Seijuurou said, “Of all the things they could be against, it’s looking at mail that isn’t theirs.”

“Wow, how wonderful of them.” Kazunari replied, his words dripping sarcasm.

“You’re lucky Atsushi isn’t here, he’d take that seriously.” Seijuurou sighed, “Which would only get him to brag about his fiance.”

“Uh...who’s Atsushi?” Kazunari asked.

“Disappointing to know your servant knows so little of the other kingdoms, Shintarou.” Seijuurou sighed, looking at his fiance, “I’ll have to teach him before we’re wed if he’s to survive in the palace.” He turned to look at Kazunari, “Atsushi is the youngest son of Yosen’s royal family and Kirisaki Daiichi’s prince’s fiance.” The crown prince thought for a moment, “He’s very naive at times and doesn’t handle sarcasm well. He also doesn’t realize just how horrible his fiance’s family really is and will deny any ill rumor about them. In fact, he’ll instead only agree with the positive.”

“That’s ridiculous! Why would he do that?” The black haired man asked with a frown.

The redhead thought for a moment, “Well, of all those in an arranged marriage, I believe Atsushi knew the longest, as in as soon as he was old enough to understand his parents told him. He knew his entire life who his husband was going to be and probably has to cope with that by acting as if there’s nothing wrong with him.”

“Or maybe he’s just in love?” Kazunari asked, “Love can make people do stupid things.”

“I doubt it.” Seijuurou replied with the wave of a hand.

“Alright, well,” Kazunari sighed, “Either way you know a lot about the kingdoms, huh?”

“Of course I do, I have to know as much as I can if I’m to be ruler one day.” The redhead replied, “And if you’re to serve my family--”

“I know, I know, I need to learn more myself.” Kazunari said, “You said you were going to handle that, right?”

“Well...yes,” Seijuurou stood, walking over to Kazunari and grabbing him by the arm, pulling him up, “We can start that now.”

Without another word, the servant was dragged out of the room, leaving Shintarou alone.

 

Shintarou sighed, of course his future husband would find a way to escape. Seijuurou really wasn’t ready to come to terms with their engagement, it seemed.

Not that Shintarou could say he was completely ready, either. Not when Seijuurou had been gone so long and Kazunari had been there.

Kazunari...he hated to admit it, but he was almost sure he had some sort of feelings for the man. The servant hadn’t been exactly quiet about his feelings towards the prince, either. Not that it mattered if he did or not, he still knew what to say at the altar and Kazunari knew his place well enough he wouldn’t interfere.

The problem was after, really. He knew how these political marriages usually worked, the couple was married and allowed another lover if so desired, to keep tensions down. If Kazunari was still around when they were married he may have an issue turning the possibility down.

Even then, it wouldn’t be an issue if he didn’t have feelings for Seijuurou...which he did. He felt no matter the choice he made, he’d feel bad in some way. He’d either lose Kazunari or feel he’d make Seijuurou feel unwanted.

He swore he felt like he was in one of the romance novels he’d stumbled upon in the library. Stuck in a love triangle with no way of fixing the issue without hurting someone. If that was the case, though, Shintarou swore he’d find a way to make it work, whether it meant ending any romantic relationship with the men before they could start or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter to be posted will have some focus on Kagami/Momoi/Kasamatsu and Kuroko/Aomine/Kise interactions, so look forward to that maybe?
> 
> Hopefully this chapter was good enough haha.


	4. Chapter 3: Helpfullness and Denial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, finally finished 5(writing Akashi is hard, okay?) So here's this chapter.

Taiga followed the pink haired princess down the hall quietly, throwing a sympathetic look to the shorter man being dragged along. The poor guy looked petrified.

“Thank you two so much for agreeing to help me!” Satsuki exclaimed, “If you two hadn’t come along I’d have had to find a way to move it all myself.”

“Uh, yeah, well Prince Tetsuya told me to help you, so…” Taiga rubbed the back of his head.

“And...and Prince Ryouta did the same with me…” The other man forced out.

“Aww, are you shy?” Satsuki asked, stopping and turning around to face the man, “That’s adorable!”

“I--I’m not shy.” The man forced out, “I...I...can we just get going?”

“Well, alright.” Satsuki said with a huff, “Let’s keep going. Try to keep up, will you, Kagami-kun?”

“Ah, yeah, of course.” Taiga mumbled, picking up his pace to be right next to the other man.

Soon enough, they came to a large, dusty room and the princess turned back to them.

“Alright, you see the boxes scattered around in there?” She asked, pointing to the many brown crates around the room, “They’re full of things, but I need them stacked against the wall.”

“Alright, that should be easy enough--”

“The things in there are also fragile, so you have to be careful moving them!” Satsuki added on, “Don’t break anything.”

“Got it.” Taiga said, giving her a small nod.

“Then I’ll leave you two to it and come check on you in a while, alright?” She gave them a smile before walking away from the room and around the corner.

“So,” Taiga turned to the other man, “I didn’t quite catch your name the first time, what was it again?”

“Kasamatsu Yukio.” The man replied, seemingly calmer than when Satsuki was around, “Nice to meet you.”

“Ah, yeah, nice to meet you too.” Taiga replied with a small nod, walking into the room with Yukio following shortly behind, “So, you seem less nervous than before...you have issues around royalty?”

Yukio followed him into the room with a frown, “No, just a problem...speaking with women.”

“Oh, okay.” Taiga mumbled, picking up a crate and moving it to the far wall.

Yukio said nothing in reply, instead he just picked up another box and placed it on top of the one Taiga had placed. This was going to be one of the awkward silent “work with each other while acknowledging the others existence as little as possible” times, wasn’t it?

Taiga didn’t want that to happen when he’d just met the guy. The last time that’d happened anyway was when he tried to convince his stepbrother not to travel and that was just...horrible.

“Look, I’m sorry if I made things awkward.” He finally said, “If I did I didn’t mean to.”

Yukio raised an eyebrow at him, “Who said things were awkward, I just didn’t have anything to say.”

“Oh, sorry.” Taiga mumbled, rubbing the back of his head, “I just...the last time that happened my older brother ran off that night to travel…”

“I see…” Yukio sighed, “Well, let’s get back to work. No point in standing around here for too long.”

 

Satsuki slumped against a wall after she was sure she was far enough away from the two men. She couldn’t help but think it wasn’t fair--Tetsuya and his servant were both actually attractive.

The most unfair thing was Tetsuya was actually more cute in a...little boy way while Taiga...Taiga was very much attractive in a suitor way.

“If all servants of Teiko’s royal palace are so nice looking I’m in trouble.”  She whispered, her face reddening, “And Dai-chan’s in trouble if he has the interest in Tetsu-kun I think he has…”

She sighed, this was going to be troublesome. She could put aside her attraction to someone’s physical features easily enough, but her stepbrother? Probably not. She’d have to do some more research on Tetsuya to find out if he wouldn’t do that.

Satsuki moved off the wall, no point in sitting around anymore, she now knew what she needed to do. She walked down the hall quickly, pausing only when she heard the chatter of maids.

“Did you see the princess walking down the hall with that servant from Teiko?” One asked, folding some sort of sheet.

“I did, maybe that’s her lover everyone’s talking about!” The second woman replied, “Just like someone whose mother married into royalty after the first queen died. Can’t be loyal herself.”

Satsuki frowned at their words. Could anymore be more rude? She was loyal to Tetsuya, if anyone was going to want a relationship outside their fiance it would be Daiki(bless his soul).

“Oh those gossipy ninnies.” She finally huffed out, taking a moment to collect herself. As soon as she felt calm enough, she forced a smile onto her face and she walked around the corner, straight towards the maids.

“Oh, hello milady.” One of the women said, curtseying at the princess, “Fine day isn’t it?”

“It is a fine day,” Satsuki replied, “Seeing as the fiance I will very much marry soon is here.”

“Oh yes, definitely.” The second maid replied with a forced laugh, “You’re completely right ma’am.”

“Too bad everyone from the kitchen staff to the butlers are whispering that my fiance’s servant, who was simply helping me with a project, is my oh-so-secret lover,” She continued, glancing at the maids, “A pity, really.”

“Yes, truly a pity.” The first maid replied, “Now, if you’ll excuse us, milady, we have more duties to attend to…”

“Of course.” Satsuki gave them a wide smile, “I didn’t mean to keep you ladies occupied long, anyway.”

Without another word, she walked away, leaving the maids to gather themselves quietly. She was sure she’d show them, the maids and the butlers and the kitchen staff, that she wasn’t one to stray from the man she was promised to at five years old. He wouldn’t stray, either, she was sure.

“These rumors will cease after the marriage actually happens, I’m sure.” She whispered to herself, if only to actually convince herself of it, “I’m sure…”

 

Daiki looked between the other blue haired man and his fiance quietly. As soon as he’d introduced Ryouta to Tetsuya, the blond had started gushing over him, which wasn’t much of a surprise, really.

Daiki had known Ryouta for years, he knew how chatty the prince was. Too bad for Tetsuya, he didn’t seem to realize just what he’d gotten into.

“How about you leave Satsuki’s future husband alone for a while, Kise?” He finally yawned out, “It’s kind of boring just listening to you go on and on.”

“Oh come on, Aominecchi!” Ryouta whined, “He doesn’t seem to mind--”

“Actually, I do kind of mind,” Tetsuya replied, cutting Ryouta off, “In fact, it’s kind of giving me a headache.”

“Aw, I didn’t realize, sorry about that!” The prince exclaimed, jumping up and taking a step back, “I feel so bad now!”

“It’s fine, you didn’t realize it.” Tetsuya replied, standing up himself, “Maybe I should just go find my fiance.”

“No wait!” Daiki called as the small man made his way towards the door. He froze when Tetsuya turned back and rose an eyebrow in question, “Uh...Satsuki said she was busy...so you should get to know your soon to be brother-in-law better. We didn’t get a chance to really talk before Ryouta came in here.”

“Fair enough.” Tetsuya replied, turning around and sitting back down next to the other blue haired man. “Now, tell me about yourself some, Aomine-kun.”

“Well, I’m the crown prince of the Touou Empire,” He began, “And I’m gonna marry that chatty blond sometime soon.”

“Is that so?” Tetsuya looked over to Ryouta, “How long have you two been engaged?”

“Since the day we were born!” Ryouta said happily, “I mean, I didn’t learn until I was about six…”

“And I was like ten when my pops finally told me. He only did it because I was complaining about the fact Satsuki knew from the moment she joined the family she’d been secured a husband, too.” Daiki added on.

“I see.” Tetsuya said with a small nod.

“Yeah, not that exciting of a story.” Daiki said with a shrug, “Satsuki was more excited when she learned about, well, you.”

“Nice to know she’s excited for the marriage.” Tetsuya replied with a small, almost non-existent smile.

“Yeah...that would be nice to know…” Daiki mumbled.

“Hey!” Ryouta exclaimed, “You know I’m excited to marry you!”  
“I know that!” Daiki snapped. He wasn’t going to bring up the fact he was actually talking about the fact he refused to seem excited about his engagement...even though over time he’d become more excited for it in all actuality.

“Then you can’t say that, Aominecchi!” Ryouta whined, “I mean--”  
“I was talking about Atsushi,” Daiki said, hoping to trick his fiance into silence, “We both know Makoto shows no excitement about the whole set up.”

“Oh...same with Akashicchi and Midorimacchi I bet.” Kaijou’s prince said, successfully tricked, “They don't seem the type to get excited over stuff like that.”

“I don't know,” Tetsuya began in reply, “Akashi-kun may not show emotion much, but I think he's excited about his engagement to Midorima-kun.”

“Really? Akashi excited about something?” Daiki snorted, “That's not something you hear everyday.”

“That's true.” Tetsuya replied, “You really don't hear that everyday.”

“I feel bad for Akashicchi, he’s bad at showing his feelings, huh?” Ryouta said with a frown.

“He is bad at it.” Tetsuya said with a nod.

“Says the guy who shows like no emotion in his words.” Daiki mumbled, avoiding the small prince’s gaze easily.

“I did hear what you said, Aomine-kun,” Tetsuya said, “I really don’t appreciate it.”

“Aominecchi! Be nice to your guest!” The blond exclaimed as soon as the blue haired boy finished speaking, “I can’t believe someone so rude is going to be my husband!”  
“Well, that’s what you get for being in an arranged marriage.” Daiki replied with a shrug, “You get to put up with my bullshit.”

“At least you’re admitting to having issues now.” Ryouta said, “Before you wouldn’t even admit to being rude.”

“So what? People can grow, Kise--”

“Not that quickly.” Ryouta replied with a pout.

“Is there a point to this pointless bickering?” Tetsuya asked, “Or are you just practicing for marriage?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to finish 6 quickly so i can post the chapter that honest to god will contain all 3 of my favorite characters.


	5. Chapter 4: Awkwardness and Plots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's another chapter bc I finished writing 6 semi-quickly haha.  
> Some Mura/Hana/Himu interactions this chapter. Aka my 3 favorite characters. Ahh, man I hope this chapter is enjoyable.

Tatsuya forced a smile on his face when Makoto turned back to him. He had to play nice, no matter how much he wanted to run off and never see this man again already.

“So, you had to have done something to impress Atsushi enough for him to bring you along, what is it?” Makoto asked after looking him up and down once more.

“I honestly don’t know the answer to that.” Tatsuya replied, keeping the fake smile on with some issue, “I’m terribly sorry.”

“You don’t even know why you were dragged along?” Makoto gave a chuckle, “That’s pretty pathetic.”

“I’m sorry you see it that way.” The servant said, shifting under the prince’s gaze.

“I brought Muro-chin ‘cause he seemed less annoying than other servants.” Atsushi said.

“Really? That’s your reason?” Makoto asked with a frown, “He seemed less annoying.”

“He’ll probably annoy Miya-chin less too,” The Yosen prince replied, “He keeps his head down usually and won’t wanna talk to you much. He doesn’t even talk to the other servants.”   
“That so?” The shorter man asked, giving Tatsuya a grin, “Someone’s anti-social.”

“Most of the staff don’t seem to like the fact I’m from Seirin and avoid me, in my defense.” Tatsuya replied, and he wasn’t lying. Seirin was considered the kingdom to go to for foreign affairs and most of the other kingdoms didn’t seem to like that.

“Oh, the seaport, huh?” Makoto said, “Not often you see them out of their home.”

“I guess you could say I couldn’t bring myself to sit around and get married when the time came.” Tatsuya replied, besides, he didn’t even really consider Seirin his home.

Actually, he was a foreigner himself, by all intents and purposes. He was born in some other empire and lived the first seven years of his life there. Hell, he’d been tempted to go back once he made the plans to travel.

At this moment, though, he really wished he’d gone that route instead. At least then he wouldn’t have to deal with this gloomy kingdom.

“You have an adventure streak, then.” Makoto’s grin widened, “Nice to know.”

“It’s died down a considerable amount since I began actually traveling.” Tatsuya mumbled.

“That so?” Makoto’s grin fell off his face as he turned to look back at Atsushi, “Looks like your visit might not be that interesting after all.”

“Why not?” The giant asked, frowning in confusion.

“Thought your servant might actually been interesting, looks like I was wrong, though.” Makoto replied with a shrug.

Tatsuya couldn’t help but feel a bit offended at that. Sure, he didn’t seem that interesting, but there were things he’d done that were, if nothing else.

Maybe it’d be better for the prince to think otherwise, though. Probably, seeing as he gave Tatsuya the chills. At least if he seemed boring he’d be safe from conversation.

“Muro-chin can be interesting, I promise.” Atsushi whined, “Plus I’m not boring.”

“You will be if you keep coming here and bothering me.” Makoto replied.

Atsushi frowned, moving right next to Makoto in one step and wrapping his arms around him. Tatsuya swore he saw Makoto’s face soften, if only by a fraction, despite the words he said next.

“Get off me you stupid giant.” He hissed out, earning only a small whine from Atsushi in reply.

Tatsuya shifted uncomfortably when Makoto finally decided to pat Atsushi’s back in a half-hearted return for the hug. He felt like nothing more than an awkward third wheel at that point. 

“Uh, I have a question,” Tatsuya said, hoping to in some way ease the awkward feeling, “While we’re here, Prince Atsushi, do I just...follow you or…?”

“Eh?” Atsushi blinked, “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell Muro-chin how it works.” The giant thought for a moment, “You--”

“You don’t have to follow him everywhere like a lost pup,” Makoto replied, “Just keep your head down and don’t bother the staff or me and you can do whatever you want around here.”

“Alright, I'll...I'll do that.” Tatsuya said.

“Good, now leave. If I have to talk to my fiance I'd rather be alone.” Makoto said, shooing Tatsuya with one hand to the best of his ability.

Tatsuya frowned, “Yes, sir.”

Without another word, the servant turned and walked out the door. He wasn’t going to complain about getting away from the man. He’d just have to hope that Atsushi would be okay on his own.

He glanced back once, out of curiosity and was almost shocked to see what looked like Makoto finally returning Atsushi’s hug without any sort of complaint.

 

“Okay, there, you got your hug, now let go.” Makoto said, trying to push away as soon as the library door closed, signalling the departure of Tatsuya.

“But Miya-chin, I wanna hug you longer.” Atsushi whined, not releasing his fiance and instead tightening his grip.

“Let go of me…” Makoto hissed out.

“Miya-chin, I don’t wanna let go.” Atsushi whined despite letting his arms fall to his sides.

“I don’t care.” Makoto replied, “Now what’s the reason for coming here? Don’t give me that you wanted to see me shit either.”

“Papa said I needed to see you,” Atsushi replied, “He told me to make sure you didn’t feel I was ignoring you.”

“You spend too much time on me if anything, you dolt.” Makoto replied with a frown, “You’re here at least once every few months.”

“Cause I like seeing Miya-chin.” Atsushi replied, picking Makoto up off the ground without a warning, “He’s gonna be my husband.”

“I know I’m going to be your husband, I was promised to you the minute you were born.” Makoto replied, “Now put me down.”

“Nope,” Atsushi replied, “Since Miya-chin used to let me sit in his lap all the time, it’s my turn to hold him.”

Makoto grimaced at the memory. The first time he’d actually met Atsushi was when he was five and the purple haired man was four. He hadn’t talked yet and instead seemed to think communication through sounds and pointing would work. Makoto had hated it at the time.

It didn’t help that from the first meeting until Makoto was about eight Atsushi would sit on his lap without warning. At least after that his parents began scolding Yosen’s prince for it.

“Just put me down, Atsushi.” Makoto sighed, “I have things to do.”

“Can you just wait until tomorrow?” Atsushi asked, pouting at his fiance.

“No, I need you to leave me alone, I need to get this done soon. The guy needs to leave soon.” Makoto said with a frown.

“But Miya-chin, I wanna hold you.” The giant said, his pout turning into a frown.

Makoto put his hands on either side of Atsushi’s face, “Let me do what I need to now and you can hold me all night.”

“There’s rules against us sleeping together until we’re married, though, isn’t there?” Atsushi asked.

“The one time you care…” Makoto mumbled, “Look, that’s not for the kind of sleeping we’d be doing. Besides, it’s either that or you don’t touch me.” Makoto paused for a moment, “I don’t like being distracted in the day when I have work to do.”

“What if we get in trouble, though?” Atsushi asked, “I don’t like being scolded.”

The shorter man sighed, “I’ll be able to talk our way out of any issue, now put me down, I have things to do.”

The prince set Makoto down on the table with a frown, “I’ll come to your room tonight, then.”

“Fine, just don’t keep me up all night with your cuddling or whatever.” Makoto replied.

“Then how is it supposed to last all night?” Atsushi asked, tilting his head.

The other man sighed, “Just...you can hold me in my sleep. If you want to stay up all night be my guest.”

“Fine, I’ll go now.” Atsushi turned to leave, only to turn back for a moment and press his lips to Makoto’s cheek.

“Yeah, whatever, go find your servant or something.” Makoto mumbled, wiping his fiance’s slobber off his face as the man turned again.

He watched Atsushi make his way across the room and exit. He sat for a moment, making sure no one else was going to interrupt before getting off the table and moving to sit in the chair again.

He glanced towards a space between one of the bookshelves and the wall, “You can come out now, you know.”

 

Tatsuya walked down another hall in the labyrinth of a palace with a sigh. Why the hell was the place so maze-like when the only threat to any of the kingdoms in the Teiko Empire was disease?

“I shouldn’t worry about that.” He mumbled, shaking his head, “I should just...focus on figuring out where I’ll be sleeping...where would the servants quarters be…?”

He took a few more turns, finding himself getting more and more lost in the place, only to run into the woman(who he still was pretty sure was the queen) from before. As soon as she noticed him, she seemingly perked up some, walking up to him with a large smile.

“Hello there, young man! I see you’ve been told what’s expected of you by now?” She asked.

“Ah, yes, I have.” Tatsuya gave a smile back, “I appreciate the fact this seems to almost be a vacation.”

“Good, good!” She clapped her hands together, only to give Tatsuya a once over and grimace, “You’re still staying formal with attire, though…”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” He rubbed the back of his head, “I just...don’t know how to make it less formal.”

She stepped forward, “Simple, you Yosen servants always button your high collar shirts as far as possible, just…” She reached out, unbuttoning the first three, “Do that and you look more relaxed!”

“Oh...alright.” Tatsuya’s smile faltered, “This...works.”

“Don’t worry, showing your neck isn’t going to make the staff or my son throw themselves on you, begging you to take them or anything.” She said, patting his back, “It’ll just show you’re not as scared of us as the other Yosen Servants have been.”

The servant forced a smile onto his face, “Well, while the comment about the staff throwing themselves at me--”

“Don’t forget Makoto, I mentioned him too.” She interjected, making Tatsuya want to cringe.

“Yes, of course, Prince Makoto too, how could I forget?” He cleared his throat, “While that entire comment didn’t seem necessary, thank you, I’m glad to know what it will help with.”

“Not a problem, also don’t be such a downer, it was just a joke!” She laughed, “Now, any questions?”

“Yes, just one, where am I going to be staying?” He asked.

“Oh, well…” She frowned, “I don’t know exactly, I need to ask the butler where he put your things. For now, how about you wait for me at the library and when I find out I’ll come tell you!”

Tatsuya felt he didn’t have a choice in the matter, “Of course, ma’am. Can you just...point out the way there?”

“Oh, it’s just down that hall,” She said, pointing to the hall on the left, “It’s the room you had to wait outside before.”

“Alright.” Tatsuya nodded, walking down that hall without another word. How had he come practically a complete circle to where he started? That was just his luck, really, a complete circle back to the last place he wanted to be.

He went to stand next to the door where he had before, only to hear a mummer from beyond. He froze, was Atsushi still in there or had he left? Maybe it was a few servants talking? Should he take a look…?

Curiosity easily got the better of him and he opened the door very slightly, peeking in. Makoto was still in the room it seemed, along with a new figure, no Atsushi in sight. He felt he should look away, but what if the prince of Kirasaki Daiichi was cheating on his fiance? Tatsuya needed to make sure Atsushi was getting a fair marriage…

“You know what you need to do,” He said to the person, “Deliver that message so we can finally get to killing the emperor.”

Tatsuya closed the door quietly upon hearing that, taking a step back with a shaky breath. Prince Atsushi’s fiance was planning on killing the emperor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be more Aka/Mido/Taka interactions when I get around to chapter 7~  
> ...If I get around to chapter 7 without feeling that this story is getting nowhere? I mean, the plot will get somewhere, but readership might be at a halt.


	6. Chapter 5: Lessons and Punishments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow writer's block has been hitting hard so here's an already finished chapter.

Kazunari frowned at the back of Seijuurou’s head as he was dragged off towards god only knows where. He’d rather just write Tatsuya back, he could look up things about the other kingdoms later if he had to.

“You know, you’re here to see Prince Shintarou, right?” Kazunari asked, “You could always focus on him. No point in wasting your time with a servant like me.”

“I said I would educate you, so that’s what I plan on doing.” Seijuurou replied, “I’m not one to go back on my offer.”

“Uh...there’s time later though!” Kazunari exclaimed, “I mean, I’m sure we both have a lot to do today.”

“I don’t, really.” Seijuurou replied, “Do you have something to do?”

“Yeah, I mean...I want to write my pen pal back and tell him to get out of Kirisaki Daiichi.” Kazunari said, and hey, it was true. If that place was really dangerous he needed to warn Tatsuya about it.

“I see...there will be plenty of time for that later, though.” The prince replied, finally stopping at the library. “This should be a good place to teach you what you need to know.”

Kazunari frowned at the prince, he really didn’t want to be there, but he was stuck. He could always try to find a way to get the guy to pay attention to something else, though…

“Come on now,” Seijuurou said, pulling Kazunari into the library, “You can’t go spacing out like that if you expect to survive in what will be your new home.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just...still in awe of the fact that the crown prince of the Teiko Empire is wasting his time on a lowly servant like me.” The black haired man replied, sounding as overdramatic as he possibly could.

“Don’t do that.” Seijuurou frowned, closing the library door.

“Don’t do what?” Kazunari asked, giving the redhead a grin.

Seijuurou looked at Kazunari for a moment, turning his head away with a sigh. Kazunari was almost hoping he was planning on giving up on him for that comment.

“We have more work to do than I expected it seems,” Seijuurou finally began in reply, “Not only do you need to learn of other kingdoms, but you also need to learn how to interact with royalty.” 

Kazunari frowned, he’d just made a mistake, hadn’t he? Now he’d never get a letter written to Tatsuya…

“No, sorry, sorry! I should’ve realized not all royalty will appreciate my humor!” Kazunari finally said, “I won’t do it again!”

“Are you sure about that?” Seijuurou asked, looking Kazunari over with a frown that screamed ‘I don’t trust you.’

“I am sure about it.” Kazunari replied, crossing his arms with a frown.

“I see…” Seijuurou sighed, “Now then, what kingdom should we start with, hmm? Perhaps Touou?”

“Uh, sure.” Kazunari replied, shrugging. He wasn’t going to get out of it, might as well just do it in whatever order Seijuurou wanted.

“Alright, first, tell me this first. What exactly do you know about Touou at this point?” Seijuurou asked.

“Well…” Kazunari thought for a minute. What did he know? “They have a prince and princess, but they aren’t blood related.”

“It’s a start…” Seijuurou sighed, “What else do you know?”

“The prince is Aomine… Something or other and the princess is Momoi… Satsuki?” Kazunari offered, god he hoped he was right.

“Correct.” Seijuurou said with a nod. “Continue.” 

“Well…” Kazunari gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head, “I don’t know anything past that.”

Seijuurou frowned yet again at the servant, seemingly disappointed in the amount he knew. It wasn’t his fault he was picked up off the streets as a kid with no political knowledge.

“Well then, you have a lot to learn than, hmm?” Seijuurou asked, forcing what Kazunari guessed was a fake smile.

“I guess I do…” Kazunari gave a laugh just as forced as the prince’s smile. God, it was going to be a long day.

Shintarou walked down the hall, hoping to find a quiet corner of the library to curl up in. At least then he could avoid Kazunari and Seijuurou for a while, right? Wrong.

The green haired man closed the door as soon as he opened it, seeing as that was exactly where his fiance had retreated to with his servant. 

“Wait! Come back!” Kazunari called, “Don’t leave me with him!”

“You’re on your own, Takao.” He called back, he didn’t want to stand between Seijuurou and his goals ever.

“Shin-chan no!” The servant called and Shintarou was almost afraid to hear what came next.

“We really do need to work on the way you talk to royalty, don’t we?” Seijuurou’s voice came, barely where Shintarou could hear it. If he didn’t do anything he’d soon be writing letters of condolences to Kazunari’s family and pen pal, wouldn’t he?

“Seijuurou, don’t be too harsh on Kazunari!” He called over his shoulder. “He knows better than to use that with any royal othen than myself.”

“Is that so…?” Seijuurou looked over to his fiance, “Then I suppose I can forgive him this time.”

“Oh great, this time...so next time I’m dead.” Kazunari said with a nervous laugh. “I really need to make sure I don’t mess up again, huh?”

Shintarou rolled his eyes, turning his head back and walking away. He didn’t have the energy to deal with Kazunari’s excitable personality at that moment.

Soon enough, he found himself in front of his room. Looked like it was as good a place as any to get some peace and quiet.

“I just hope Kazunari doesn’t do something to make Seijuurou angry enough to actually punish him.” He mumbled, throwing himself down on his bed. His fiance’s trip was already proving to be a stressful event.

Then again, no matter how much he loved Seijuurou, when was it not stressful when he was around? The answer was never, really, seeing as the redhead was always worrying about something.

“I’m sure Kazunari will find a way to get out of this, though.” He said after a minute. “Kazunari would be the man who would be able to do it.”

Kazunari left the library a while later knowing almost too much about the surrounding kingdoms. That crown prince definitely seemed to mean whatever he said, he’d have to keep that in mind.

“Kazunari.” Seijuurou called, making the servant freeze. “We’ll continue the lessons tomorrow.” 

“But, you...you’ve already told me just about everything you could!” Kazunari exclaimed. “What else is there?”

“I have yet to tell you of my father, since you will be interacting with him some.” Seijuurou replied. “I don’t want you to make a mistake with him, that could be...fatal.”

“Oh...good to know.” Kazunari mumbled. “Alright, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Know I will likely be very harsh about it.” Seijuurou said, approaching the black haired man. “It’s simply to make sure any mistakes you make will be with me and won’t lead to your death.”

“Alright, good to know!” Kazunari gave a nervous laugh. “Though, I don’t understand, I’m pretty expendable, aren’t I? I mean, if I make your dad--Er the emperor angry, you can just get Shin--Er Prince Midorima a new servant.”

“I could, but you seem to be…” The redhead looked him over, “One on a million.”

“Me? Pft.” Kazunari rolled his eyes, “Nah, I was just lucky enough to be one of the peasants that got into working here in the palace.”

“Is that so?” Seijuurou frowned, “Odd that that’s all you claim to be. Shintarou seems to be more...attached to you than he would just some lucky peasant.” 

“Well, that’s what I am.” Kazunari said, trying to keep himself from turning red at the crown prince’s comment.

“I see...don’t go doing anything stupid, Kazunari.” Seijuurou said, turning to walk away. “If you do, I’ll find out and I will punish you. It can be the start of the training you’ll need to deal with my father.”

“Okay...got it!” Kazunari replied with a nervous laugh. He didn’t move until Seijuurou rounded a corner and was out of sight. He was really going to have to watch what he said until the guy got used to him, huh?

He shrugged, nothing he could do at that point. Instead, he should just try and relax the rest of the day, before Seijuurou could bother him.

“I should write Tatsuya back already…” Kazunari mumbled. He really didn’t want to let his friend stay in such a dangerous place for too long, so he needed to get a letter out as soon as he could.

He made it to his room quickly, sitting down in front of his desk. How was he supposed to start the letter off? For all he knew his letter would be the one time the royal family there crossed the line.

“I’ll just start it like I’d start any other letter.” He said, cracking his neck. “That way they’ll think it’s just from some friend who can’t take anything seriously.”

Usually his letters didn’t sound very serious, at least when Tatsuya’s didn’t seem to be in trouble. He just found it better to try and keep a light mood with a friend when possible.

“Alright, let’s do this…”

Seijuurou walked down the hall with a frown, there was an issue. Kazunari was a nice man, sure, but he wouldn’t survive a day in the royal palace. His father would surely have the servant killed quickly.

He didn’t want that happening. No, he seemed to important to his fiance to let that happen any time soon. The only way that his father wouldn’t be able to touch him, though, was to take him as a lover. He wasn’t quite sure he wanted to do that.

“I’ll need to try and teach him first.” He mumbled. “I will spend every moment I can with him, preparing him. If that fails, I’ll just take him as my lover. He needs to be there for Shintarou…”

It was almost odd to say the word ‘lover,’ really. He’d never said anything of the sort, seeing as the way his father said it held venom and it always involved scorning his half brother. 

Now that he thought on it, Seijuurou was sure he hated the word lover. He would change the term when he became emperor, that was for sure. No one would change his mind on that, when he was emperor, he would be absolute.

****  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Any comments you have are appreciated, just to see how people feel about this story? I dunno, I have two actual chapters written, so it's going to be updated either way at some point...
> 
> Unless I freak out and delete it.


End file.
